1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an editing apparatus, editing method, and program, and more particularly to an editing apparatus, editing method, and program for editing a plurality of video images without recording a postroll.
2. Description of the Related Art
Edits may be made to clip necessary portions from a video recorded on a videotape or the like and splice them to create a new video, or insert a particular scene into an existing video.
FIG. 1 shows a typical configuration of an editing system that was used in the past. The editing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a reproduction VTR (Video Tape Recorder) 11, a recording VTR 12, and an editing controller 13. The editing system shown in FIG. 1 is configured for linear editing.
The reproduction VTR 11 reproduces video and audio that are recorded on a videotape (hereinafter simply referred to as video), and supplies them to the recording VTR 12. The editing controller 13 provides control over the start and end of a reproduction operation of the reproduction VTR 11 and the start and end of a recording operation of the recording VTR 12.
Editing operations performed by the editing system shown in FIG. 1 will now be described. For example, video A, video B, and video C may be clipped from video recordings on a material tape and spliced in order of video B, video A, video C to create an edited tape (complete package tape), as shown in FIG. 2. When an edit is to be made to sequentially dub necessary portions of the material tape as mentioned above, the following process is performed by the editing system shown in FIG. 1. The term “complete package” refers to AV (Audio and Video) data that is completed as a television broadcast after being subjected to audio and video editing and finished, for instance, by superimposing text and drawing on video.
First of all, the reproduction VTR 11 reproduces video B on the material tape and supplies it to the recording VTR 12. The recording VTR 12 then records video B. Next, the reproduction VTR 11 reproduces video A and supplies it to the recording VTR 12. The recording VTR 12 then records video A. Next, the reproduction VTR 11 reproduces video C and supplies it to the recording VTR 12. The recording VTR 12 then records video C.
As reproduction and recording operations are repeated as described above, a complete package tape on which video B, video A, and video C are recorded in the order named is created. The editing controller 13 exercises control to perform the above reproduction and recording operations by issuing commands to the reproduction VTR 11 and recording VTR 12. To perform the above editing operation, it is necessary that the reproduction VTR 11 and recording VTR 12 maintain the same timing.
In the editing system shown in FIG. 1, the editing controller 13 controls the reproduction VTR 11 and recording VTR 12. In an alternative configuration, however, either the reproduction VTR 11 or the recording VTR 12 may double as the editing controller 13.
Another form of editing is an insert edit. An insert edit is an editing operation that is performed to create a complete package tape, for instance, by inserting video A into a video recording on a recorded tape as shown in FIG. 3. When an insert edit is performed, video A overwrites a part of the video recording on the recorded tape.
When an insert edit is to be performed, a recorded tape on which a video is recorded is set in the recording VTR 12 while a videotape on which video A is recorded is set in the reproduction VTR 11. Video A is reproduced by the reproduction VTR 11, supplied to the recording VTR 12, and written over a portion of the recorded tape that is specified for an insert edit.
An assemble edit, which is another form of editing, will now be described. An assemble edit is an editing operation that is basically performed to sequentially record videos onto a blank videotape (a videotape on which no video is recorded). An assemble edit will be described with reference to FIG. 4.
At time point 1, nothing is recorded on the videotape. This blank videotape is set in the recording VTR 12. At time point 2, video A is recorded onto the blank videotape. At time point 2, a videotape on which video A is recorded is set in the reproduction VTR 11 and reproduced to supply video A to the recording VTR 12. In the recording VTR 12, video A is recorded onto the blank videotape.
To record video A as described above, the editing controller 13 controls, for instance, the start of reproduction and recording operations by issuing commands to the reproduction VTR 11 and recording VTR 12.
At time point 3, video B is additionally recorded onto the videotape on which video A is already recorded. For recording of video B, the editing system performs the same process as for recording of video A. Further, at time point 4, video C is additionally recorded onto the videotape on which video A and video B are already recorded. For recording of video C, the editing system also performs the same process as for recording of video A and video B.
The process for an assemble edit will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. At time point 1, video X is recorded on a videotape. When FIG. 4 was used for explanation purposes, the employed videotape was described as a “blank videotape.” In reality, however, a predetermined signal is recorded at the beginning of a videotape. The predetermined signal is, for instance, a color bar or other test signal.
Video A is recorded onto the videotape on which a test signal is recorded as indicated by the drawing of time point 1. Recording of video A begins at the IN point. When recording of video A begins at the IN point, reproduction starts after the videotape is rewound (prerolled) to a point slightly before the IN point. As described above, reproduction starts at a point slightly before the IN point, at which recording begins, for the purpose of acquiring a section necessary for stabilizing a videotape transport operation and causing the reproduction VTR 11 and recording VTR 12 to maintain the same timing.
When the videotape is reproduced to reach the IN point (time point 3), recording of video A begins.
The videotape on which video X is recorded is set in the recording VTR 12. The recording VTR 12 starts a reproduction operation from a point slightly before the IN point of the videotape. While the videotape is reproduced, the videotape transport operation stabilizes and the recording VTR 12 begins to keep the same timing as the reproduction VTR 11. When the IN point is reached, the reproduction VTR 11 reproduces video A and supplies it to the recording VTR 12. The recording VTR 12 then starts recording video A.
The editing controller 13 reproduces the videotape until the IN point is reached. When the IN point is reached, the editing controller 13 controls the recording VTR 12 so as to switch from reproduction to recording. When the IN point is reached, the editing controller 13 also controls the reproduction VTR 11 so as to start the reproduction of video A.
When the recording of video A is continued until the OUT point (the end of a desired recording section) for finishing the recording of video A is reached, the recording continues (time point 4). The section between the OUT point and a point at which the recording actually ends is referred to as a postroll section. The postroll section is, for instance, a period of two seconds.
The postroll section is used to prepare for the next editing operation. The postroll section is obtained because an extra section is necessary. Even when the OUT point is reached, the recording VTR 12 continues its recording operation as described above. The recording VTR 12 continues its recording operation until it passes through the postroll section.
The process performed during a period between time point 2 and time point 5 is executed because the editing controller 13 issues an “AUTO EDIT” command to the recording VTR 12.
When video B is to be recorded subsequently to video A, the OUT point is regarded as the IN point as indicated by the drawing of time point 6. The recording of video B begins at that IN point. More specifically, reproduction starts at a point before the OUT point of video A (the IN point of video B), and the recording of video B starts when the IN point is reached.
The postroll section is overwritten by a subsequent editing operation as described above and does not remain on a complete package tape, which is eventually obtained.
Editing operations described above are performed by the editing system that is shown in FIG. 1 and configured for linear editing. However, the editing system configured for nonlinear editing, which is shown in FIG. 6, also performs the editing operations described above in basically the same manner.
The editing system shown in FIG. 6 performs nonlinear edits. It includes a VTR 21 and a nonlinear editing (NLE) apparatus 22. The VTR 21 reproduces a videotape on which video and audio are recorded, and supplies the reproduced video and audio to the nonlinear editing apparatus 22. The nonlinear editing apparatus 22 includes, for instance, a PC (Personal Computer), and causes a built-in hard disk drive (HDD) to acquire the video supplied from the VTR 21.
The hard disk drive is randomly accessible. When, for instance, an editing operation is to be performed by clipping necessary portions from a certain video and recording the clipped portions in an altered sequence as described with reference to FIG. 2, the use of the hard disk drive makes the editing operation easy because it does not have to perform a tape rewind or fast-forward operation in marked contrast to the use of a videotape.
The nonlinear editing apparatus 22 edits the video recorded on the built-in hard disk drive or the like to create a complete package. The created complete package is supplied to the VTR 21 and recorded onto a videotape that is set in the VTR 21.
As described above, a process is performed by allowing the VTR 21 to supply a material to the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 (step 1), letting the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 perform an edit to create a complete package (step 2), and having the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 supply the created complete package to the VTR 21 and letting the VTR 21 record the complete package (step 3). Steps 1 and 3 are performed by using the same commands as for linear editing.
Since the same control commands for linear editing and nonlinear editing, it is possible to accurately acquire a desired section of the material (accurately supply the video of the desired section from the VTR 21 to the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 for recording purposes) and accurately record a complete package on a videotape (accurately supply the complete package from the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 to the VTR 21 and accurately record the complete package on the videotape set in the VTR 21).
When the complete package is supplied from the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 to the VTR 21 and recorded in the VTR 21, the AUTO EDIT command may be used. The process performed when the AUTO EDIT command is used will now be described with reference to FIG. 7.
At time point 1, video X, which is a color bar or other test signal, is already recorded on a videotape that is to be used for recording new video, and such a videotape is set in the VTR 21. When the AUTO EDIT command is executed at time point 2, the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 supplies complete package A to the VTR 21. Further, subsequently to video X, the VTR 21 records complete package A between the IN point and the OUT point and then continues to perform a recording process for a postroll section, which begins at the OUT point. For example, a black image signal is recorded in the postroll section whose recording begins at the OUT point.
When the nonlinear editing apparatus 22 creates a plurality of complete packages and splices them together to create a new complete package, for example, complete package B is recorded subsequently complete package A as indicated by the drawing of time point 3. The leading end of complete package B overwrites the postroll section that was created when complete package A was recorded. Therefore, no postroll section exists between complete package A and complete package B (time point 3).
The postroll section is overwritten by the next complete package as described above. Therefore, the newly created complete package does not contain a postroll section. As a result, a complete package is created by properly splicing the complete packages together. However, a postroll section exists at a trailing end of complete package B, which was written at last.
The above editing operation is performed, for instance, by a currently marketed editing controller (Model RM-280, manufactured by Sony Corporation).